Secret Valentine
by Emilie Austen Winchester
Summary: Re-posted. I fixed up the original and am re-posting it. Remus spends his 35th Valentines Day alone, or does he? One-shot. Remus/Tonks


**Diclaimer: The best birthday present would be to own Harry Potter, but sadly, no one has given me that gift.**

_I decided to fix and repost this story. I added description and rounded it out better._

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Today I awoke to the heavenly sight of Dora sleeping peacefully beside me, her face inches from mine. This time I hadn't even heard her crawl into the bed; she was getting better at not waking me. I smiled, shook my head, and sat up, trying not to wake her, simultaneously running my fingers through my graying hair.

For the past week, Dora's been having nightmares about the deaths of her loved ones. Andromeda, Ted, Sirius…and me. The first night they started, there was a storm outside, and she crawled in next to me as I wiped the tears from her eyes. She was scared of thunder and the coupling of the storm and the nightmare were too much for that Auror to handle.

I crawled out of the bed, and stumbled across the hall to the bathroom Sirius and I shared. Looking in the mirror, I groaned at the man staring back at me. The full moon was tomorrow night, and Snape would be over later today to drop off the last servings of Wolfsbane. Sirius was lending me the Grimmauld Place basement to transform since my proprietor evicted me last month.

It was almost dawn, and I snuck back into my room as quietly as I could walk.

"Remus?" A slurred voice called out from the jumble of bed sheets.

Dora was stirring slightly, her hair a muted purple. _Damn, I thought I was being quiet_. I walked over to the edge of my bed, and placed my hand on her head.

"Shhh…just go back to sleep." I pulled the comforter up over her shoulders; February was chilly this year.

She smiled and settled back down, the bedspread pooled around her waist. I leaned down to kiss her forehead, but stopped myself before I did anything, and I quickly left her.

As usual, Sirius and Molly were in the kitchen, Sirius downing probably his fourth cup of coffee, and Molly preparing breakfast for the large amount of people now living at Grimmauld Place. Sirius, Dora, the 3 Weasleys, and I now live in the Black family house, with Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny back at Hogwarts with Harry.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Moony. Will you be mine?" Sirius looked up from the _Daily Prophet_ he was reading and smirked at me.

"It's too early, Sirius." I walked over to the counter to pour myself a cup of coffee to rid my headache.

"Hey, at least you have Tonks, I don't have anyone." Sirius folded the paper, giving his undivided attention to me.

"I do not **have** Dora, we are just friends." I closed my eyes; this was not helping the pressure that was building into a migraine.

"Sure, that's why she's asleep in your bed right now." That mutt knew how to press my buttons; I'll give him that.

I sighed and turned to Molly, not wanting to get back in this argument.

"Merlin's beard Molly, are you serving one hundred?" There was an array of breakfast items, and the stack of eggs beside her was enough to feed the entire British navy.

"No, Remus, I've decided to make a big Valentine's Day breakfast." Well, the six of them could eat a lot, and Sirius was still making up for all those years in Azkaban.

I heard a crash on the stairs, symbolizing Tonk's entrance to the kitchen. She tripped over the coat hanger, almost crashing into the table.

"Ouch! Oh, I'm sorry Molly!" She chuckled sheepishly, throwing Molly an apologetic glance.

Dora collapsed into one of the chairs, and smiled at me as I passed her a glass of coffee.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Tonks." Molly smiled warmly at her before glancing at me, her smile only growing.

"Thanks Molly." Dora looked down, thoroughly interested in her coffee mug.

Molly had put another mug of coffee down on the table just as Bill and Arthur walked down the stairs. Arthur claimed that glass of coffee and sat down just as Molly levitated the truly gigantic plate of scrambled eggs onto the table. Dora dug in as soon as the food had come to a complete stop in front of her.

I pushed the food away and walked back up to my room, my appetite disappearing all together. Groaning, I flopped down on the bed and tried not to think that it was my thirty-fifth Valentine's Day alone. All of the previous relationships I had been apart of had ended well before a year passed, and I had actually never spent Valentine's Day with a woman.

"Remus! Severus is here!" Molly's voice rang up clearly, easily discernible with her first-name basis with Snape.

_Great. Something else to brighten my day._

As I walked down the stairs, I could see Snivellus leaning against the doorframe with the crate of Wolfsbane Potion. A sneer crossed over his face as he watched come down the stairs, and I knew what my face must look like. The loathing quickly passed out of his eyes as he regained his composure, but I was used to it by now.

"Lupin. Here's the potion." Snape gestured to the crate before fastening his cloak tighter around him. With that, Snape turned at left Grimmauld Place.

"Good riddance."

I turned around; Dora was standing against the doorframe to the antechamber, frowning. She turned and walked back into the kitchen.

I walked back upstairs with my last two goblets of Wolfsbane and collapsed facedown onto my bed. Not more than a minute later, I heard my bedroom door swing open quietly and someone sit next to me on the bed.

I knew it was she without having to flip over. She ran her fingers softly through my hair, and I couldn't hold back the moan building in my chest. Dora laughed and lay down next to me, snuggling closer. I couldn't keep my feelings at bay, no matter what I did; Tonks keeps burrowing her way back into my heart. I lifted an arm, and she moved right next to me. I looked down into her eyes, which were light blue now, and leaned forward to kiss her. For a first kiss, it was the best one I'd ever had. Dora tried to deepen it, but I smiled and pulled away. Even if I wasn't thinking clearly, I was controlling this relationship.

I could see her begin to pout so I pulled her closer to me to make up for it. She sighed and looked up at me with a smile so bright that it literally spread warmth into my bones.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Dora." My voice sounded husky and weird, and I blushed from the originality of my statement.

"Remus, I think that was the best Valentine's present anyone has ever given me." Dora's cheeks were red, but she looked happy, and I loved to make her look that way.

I laughed and pulled her lips back to mine once more.

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**A/N: I have brownies for anyone who reviews! Come on, can you really pass up brownies?**


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